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Sestren Review – 9/10

Time for an update on the articles of this blog. Since DLC news has been scarce lately, I’m going to do more extensive in searching for news items to post here about Dissidia 012. Expect to see more frequent updates with things such as reviews, price drops, etc.

To start this off, we have a review of Dissidia 012 that was posted on Sestren.com a few days ago. It was a very positive review. You can read the review either in the following link or in this article, which will be posted below:

There is a lot to this game that I almost feel like telling you to just pick it up and play it for yourself.

Intro – About the game

Dissidia 012[duodecim] Final Fantasy has so many features and so much depth that I don’t even know where I should begin in explaining it all. However, for those of you yet to purchase this game, this should be a good sign as every feature and detail in this game is wonderful. This is especially true for any Final Fantasy fan. I would also say that if you are not the biggest Final Fantasy fan, but enjoy action-rpg/fighting games, then this is most definitely something you should at least check out.

You have many modes to choose from which includes a Story Mode, Battle Mode(Quick Battle 1 on 1 or Quick Battle Party with a party of up to 5 that is completely customizable) and Arcade Mode which gives certain objectives to complete.

A fighting game with action and rpg elements, Dissidia 012[duodecim] Final Fantasy is a blast to play. You can play on either RPG mode or Action mode. I spent most of my time playing on action mode. The gameplay with action mode is such fun to play and controls very well once you get the hang of it.

Playing in RPG mode is still a good time for the battles as well and like all RPG’s, you select what your character does and it’s still very interactive with how the fighting progresses. You get to select when your characters moves, attacks, defends and more. However, when playing in action mode, you get full control over everything and it’s really a much more enjoyable gameplay experience.

There are many combinations for attacks for each character and each with their own special moves. Each character also levels up on it’s own as you play with them. As you level up and continue to play, there are also so many things to unlock and accomplish in Dissidia 012[duodecim] Final Fantasy.

During battle you also have EX Mode for special attacks which are really neat when you do perform them. You do need to make sure to collect the EX Core when it comes into play if you want to be able to charge your EX Meter in able to perform these powerful attacks.

Another nice gameplay addition is the Assist. For the assist, players must charge up a meter that fills up as they attack, and once it is full you can call on another player to lend a hand. You need to fill up the first bar to have them do a bravery attack and fill up both bars to have them perform an HP attack.

The levels in Dissidia 012[duodecim] Final Fantasy are fun to play in as well, with destructible surroundings and walls to climb, they provide for even more fun gameplay while playing action mode. There are a few levels that can become slightly frustrating however and you need to be aware of your surroundings.

When it comes to Story Mode, you will play it by episodes. Each episode playing with a different character. The way story mode works is you have your basic world to journey, though it’s very compact to where you can actually go. While in the world, there are usually a treasure chest or two to collect as well as maybe one battle you can fight in. However, you look for gateways to enter to progress.

Once in a gateway, it’s set up like a tactics game. You can walk up to a square that an enemy sits on and engage in battle. You will also collect chains that you can use in setting up battles. So instead of moving from square to square to each enemy to fight, you can use a chain that can highlight multiple targets to fight from your location to earn more KP to use later. Once you fight your way through each enemy you’ll reach an end point to either simply be able to exit the gateway or to face a boss.

Dissidia 012[duodecim] Final Fantasy really has a lot of detail in the game with lots of things to look at and complete. It has a ton of extra features that go along side with you as you play the game. It keeps full track of accomplishments which there are a ton and it will keep you very busy for a very long time. It also has a mode called battlegen which are accessories that are obtainable when completing certain conditions during matches.

Throughout the game you will also be able to edit the abilities of each character. This includes offensive abilities, both bravery and HP attacks as well as basic abilities and actions to equip. There is so much here for your to customize and do. You also have two different shops to shop from in Story mode, both with different types of items to purchase.

As you start the game it lets you transfer over your Dissidia Final Fantasy game save data if you’ve played the previous one. However if you are like me, you’ll be starting new data. You’ll then get to enter a nickname, what type of gamer you are and what day of the week you play the most. So lets say you are to pick Saturday as your most played day. The game has a calendar and every time Saturday comes along, that will be your bonus day in the game for you to receive bonuses in game.

Your calendar keeps up to date with the actual date and time. It lets you know how many consecutive days you’ve played and will also let you know when other bonus days come about. You also get mail from moogles that present you with friend cards and more. They can also be interactive with you asking you questions as well for you to respond to in which they will get back to you the next day on.

Another feature is the PP Catalog where you will earn PP throughout the game to use in the PP Catalog to unlock all kinds of material from characters, uniforms, voices, stages, bonus icons for your calendar, avatars, background music and so much more!

You can also create original quests(battles) to play all the way from the battle format, background, background music, victory conditions and more. There is also an area to watch and edit your battle replay data.
There really is a massive amount of detail to this game that you will spend lots of time just looking at it all. It is also presented very well with very easy to navigate menus as you work your way through the game.

I will also say that they did a wonderful job explaining every little thing you may have questions about while playing this game. By just pressing the Start button while in a certain menu, it will give a lot of detail about it. Also, if you need to, the instruction booklet comes handy as well explaining more details on certain things.

Story

The story for Dissidia 012[duodecim] Final Fantasy in story mode is well enough. It’s not great by any means, but I am sure a lot of us like most of the characters and that’s what drives this game. I still did find it interesting at certain points in the game as it progresses. So by no means is it a bad game at all. It works for what the game is and that’s what is most important.

Game play – AI – Controls

Controls in the game do take awhile to get down, there are a lot of different combinations in the buttons that will take time to learn. Once you get the hang of it though, it becomes so much fun to play. The AI can be easy to very difficult as well, especially if you are going up against a much higher level character than you.

Sound – Graphics

Of course the soundtrack is mighty excellent with wonderful Final Fantasy tunes! Visually the game looks very sharp as well, including decent cutscenes.

Online – Multiplayer

Unfortunately the game is ad-hoc only. If this was playable online, this would be fantastic! If you have some friends to play with though, you will be in for some good times for sure.

Enjoyment Level – Fun Factor

I really did enjoy this title and had a lot of fun with it. Most importantly to mention is that I will also continue to have a lot of fun with it. I have an extremely high enjoyment level for Dissidia 012[duodecim] Final Fantasy! With different modes and lots to do and unlock, it’s a very fun game. Most importantly, without a good battle system this game wouldn’t have been as good as it is.

Final Notes:

I will mention the load times here. If you have a large chip to install, I would do so. Otherwise the load times will slow you down a bit. It’s not as smooth as I would have liked.

Buy, Rent, Avoid Factor:

Easily a buy! With tons of depth in the game and so many characters to play with and level up, you will be busy for a long long time! This is a fantastic game for Final Fantasy fans and it’s a wonderful game for those who may be on the edge. The story isn’t great by any means in story mode, but it is interesting enough. Again, it’s the gameplay and all the things you can do that make this worth it. With so many features in the game, you will find yourself putting many many hours into it.

Rating – 9/10

I know this isn’t the kind of post we’ve been having lately, but I’m going to try to get as much news and information as I can, whether it be reviews, DLC announcements, price drops, or other news.

About

My name is Trent Berlinger, and a big fan of the Final Fantasy franchise. I’ve been following Dissidia ever since Square-Enix announced it back in Spring 2007, so I’ve decided to make a blog with updates for the game and the possibility of a sequel